Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Release Date, Specs, News and Rumors

The Samsung Galaxy Note has been out for less than a year but it appears that Samsung will be wasting no time delivering a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 sequel.

The original Galaxy Note phablet, the 5.3-inch smartphone that Samsung launched in 2011, has gone on to achieve success that many did not foresee. So, it comes as no surprise that Samsung is hard at work on a follow-up to its popular device in the form of the Galaxy Note 2.

Of course, right now, the device strictly exists in the realm of rumor. Samsung has not confirmed anything and we have yet to see the device itself leak out on camera.

However, its features and release date have leaked out several times in the past and we now want to sift through these rumors to try and paint a better Galaxy Note 2 picture.

The Galaxy Note 2 could launch in August.

Galaxy Note 2 Release Date

Samsung introduced the original Samsung Galaxy Note in October of 2011. However, it appears that the company might announce and release the Galaxy Note 2 prior to its anniversary in a possible attempt to launch before the upcoming iPhone 5 which appears to be set for an October launch.

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Originally, a report from T3 indicated that the device might be set for a similar October launch. It now looks like the Galaxy Note 2 release date might wind up arriving in September though.

GSMArena has it on good authority that the device will be launching in September of this year and today, a report from Korean news site MK seems to back up that claim.

Today’s report indicates that the Galaxy Note 2 will be announced on August 31st at the IFA conference in Berlin. A release in under a month makes sense as Samsung will likely not want to launch the device in October so as not to coincide with the iPhone 5 release.

Galaxy Note 2 Form Factor

The original Samsung Galaxy Note looked like it was part of both the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S II line as its design took features from both.

With the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the company apparently will be taking a page from its Samsung Galaxy S III design that Samsung says was inspired by nature.

The Galaxy S III design is curved and features a glossy finish combined with polycarbonate plastic. It’s possible that the Galaxy Note 2 will adopt the same type of design.

The Galaxy Note 2 is also rumored to feature a bigger display than the original Galaxy Note but rumors state that the device itself will not increase too much in size and will have a form factor similar to the original.

Galaxy Note 2 Screen

The current version of the Samsung Galaxy Note boasts a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display and judging by the amount of devices that Samsung has sold, it appears that that size is a sweet spot with consumers.

Yet, rumors have Samsung increasing the size of the screen to 5.5-inches which isn’t a massive increase but will likely be noticeable.

It’s unclear exactly what screen resolution Samsung will be using with the Galaxy Note 2 but previous rumors pegged the device as having 1680 x 1050 resolution.

The original Galaxy Note boasts 1280 x 800 pixel resolution so this would be a big step up.

Previous rumors had the Galaxy Note 2 as having a flexible OLED display but that seems to be out of the question at this point and we don’t expect the device to feature Samsung’s new technology.

Galaxy Note 2 Specs

Samsung is expected to include a quad-core Exynos processor inside the Galaxy Note 2, although its speed is currently unknown at this time.

While there still isn’t a 4G LTE device in the U.S. with a quad-core Exynos processor, we have seen that it’s possible as Samsung is slated to release a quad-core 4G LTE Galaxy S III in Korea this month. It’s unknown when or if that device will ever head to American shores.

Hopefully the Galaxy Note 2 features improved battery life.

With the launches of the Galaxy S III already have taken place, we doubt it, but still, it’s a sign of good things to come.

The Galaxy Note 2 is also rumored to employ 1.5GB of RAM and 4G LTE connectivity.

And while we haven’t heard anything about the battery just yet, we hope Samsung includes a massive batter in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to compensate for the battery sucking screen that was found on the original.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is also said to include Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the operating system that Google announced at Google I/O in June.

Galaxy Note 2 Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note’s camera was good enough. It was able to capture 720p and 1080p video and shoot fairly good photos. Samsung apparently will be upgrading the camera on the Galaxy Note 2.

Rumor has it, the device will feature a 12MP or 13MP camera.

Samsung also loaded up the Galaxy S III with a brand new camera interface and it’s possible that it could come to the Galaxy Note 2 as well.

Galaxy Note 2 Price

Currently, there are no rumors in regards to the price of the Galaxy Note 2 but we expect the device to receive a competitive price when it arrives and that could mean anywhere between $199 and $299 on-contract in the U.S.

The original Galaxy Note cost $299.99 on AT&T and Samsung and the Galaxy Note 2’s American carriers could follow a similar path with the Galaxy Note 2.

Galaxy Note 2 Carriers

The Galaxy Note 2 will likely go against the iPhone 5.

Since the original Galaxy Note launched earlier this year, only one American carrier has it on board. AT&T has been the lone carrier for the Galaxy Note phablet although rumors of launches on Sprint and T-Mobile has littered the landscape over the past few months.

T-Mobile seems like it might finally launch the original Galaxy Note in August but with the Galaxy Note 2 on the way, it’s unclear if it will instead choose to offer the Galaxy Note 2.

AT&T seems to be a shoo-in for the next Galaxy Note and hopefully Sprint and Verizon get on board as well.

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Sadly, there is nothing concrete in terms of the carriers at this time but we expect to hear more once we get closer to the Note 2’s rumored August launch date.

My contract has been up since April, originally I waited for the GS3, but the Note 2 is better. Sprint better get this phone, I’ll wait for awhile but getting close the end of the year, I’ll consider leaving and I’ve been with Sprint for 8 years. I don’t see a better phone than the Note 2, even the Iphone 5 won’t measure up. Forget the S3 sales Sprint, get this phone!!